New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy on Thursday enthusiastically endorsed Massachusetts lawmakers seeking to legalize sports betting in the commonwealth, as a long-awaited wagering bill is now in a conference committee for House and Senate members to hash out conflicting provisions.
Sports gaming experts have heralded New Jersey as an exemplar of legalized wagering — and a state that Massachusetts should look to for guidance as Beacon Hill hones legislation that would allow Bay Staters to finally place bets on their favorite teams.
“I’d do it,” Murphy said during a press conference Thursday morning, as he stood beside Gov. Charlie Baker and Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson at the Hotel Commonwealth in Boston. Earlier Thursday, the trio — as well as New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and Vermont Gov. Phil Scott — gathered to discuss computer science education as a critical initiative of the National Governors Association.
New Jersey has managed to consistently be deemed the “No. 1 sports betting team in America,” Murphy said as Baker agreed with his fellow governor’s advice to make wagering a reality here.
“We’ve long ago beaten Nevada in terms of the monthly handle, and we’ve stayed high even though New York has now legalized,” Murphy continued. “We’ve also been able to attract a lot of jobs into New Jersey because it’s a fintech business, basically ... It’s been a home run. I wholeheartedly endorse it.”
At Baker’s prompting, Murphy said the tax revenues are not “as significant” as might be expected. Still, Murphy said, “those revenues will be dear to us and matter a lot” as New Jersey and the United States braces for an economic downturn.
Sports could generate around $35 million in tax revenues for Massachusetts, some lawmakers have predicted.
Baker reiterated Thursday that he hopes to sign a sports betting bill by the end of the legislative session in order to compete with neighboring states, including Connecticut and New Hampshire, that have already authorized wagering.
“There are a lot of people who literally drive over the border just to be able to bet on things like the Super Bowl and March Madness and some of the other big events,” Baker said.
As Baker sees it, sports betting is ”for all intents and purposes ... a fintech industry with a lot of jobs and a lot of opportunity.” Baker said he and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito filed sports betting legislation in 2019 by relying on New Jersey’s lead as a template.
The Senate last month passed a bill that would legalize sports betting with a slew of consumer protections, such as preventing the use of credit cards to place bets and requiring the Executive Office of Health and Human Services to develop a compulsive gambling program.
But in a major departure from the House’s version of the bill, which passed last summer, senators did not authorize betting on college sports. Collegiate sports betting is not legal in New Jersey, either.
House Speaker Ron Mariano has previously said that type of omission amounts to a dealbreaker.
“I am disappointed that it appears the Senate left probably the largest betting event in Massachusetts — in the NCAA tournament — in the hands of the black market, which I think is something that we will talk about,” Mariano said at a press conference earlier this month alongside Baker, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito and Senate President Karen Spilka.
Spilka, who for months refused to divulge her stance on legalizing sports, disclosed in a WGBH interview last Friday she would have voted yes for the bill. In a controversial move, the Senate passed the bill on a voice vote — as opposed to a roll call vote that would have required each senator to share their stance on the record for constituents.
Spilka pledged a final vote on the bill, should it move out of conference committee, will involve a roll call. The conference committee was named this week and includes Reps. Jerry Parisella, Aaron Michlewitz and David Muradian, as well as Sens. Michael Rodrigues, Eric Lesser and Patrick O’Connor.
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